Joint pain is well known to many, especially the elderly. These are caused by malnutrition, physical inactivity, stress, strenuous physical exertion and other factors.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint, a chronic disease that causes severe deformities of cartilage and adjacent tissues and bones, is common in the elderly and a small percentage of young people. It has a progressive type and the symptoms may not appear for years and then suddenly get worse.
The most common symptom is shoulder pain after a long stay at low temperatures and after lifting heavy objects.
Do not self-medicate. See a doctor at the first sign of the disease.
Cause
Deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is caused by an inflammatory process in the joints of the hand. The main causes of the disease are:
- injuries (dislocations, bruises, fractures);
- excessive physical activity (tennis players, basketball players);
- malnutrition;
- presence of bad habits;
- infection in the joint cup.
Arthrosis of the shoulder joint is accompanied by an inflammatory process. As a result, the cartilage tissue loses its properties and becomes thinner. In addition, in advanced cases, the disease contributes to the deformity and even destruction of cartilage tissue and its ingrowth into the bone structure.
Signs of illness
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder joint usually begins in people over the age of 45, as it is associated with age-related changes in the body. The profession and the way of life one plays an important role in the symptoms. Lack of synovial fluid is a major cause of cartilage death.
The symptoms of the disease can manifest themselves in several ways: at first, there is usually a slight discomfort or aching pain in the shoulder when you get into a certain position. Taking another position usually relieves or relieves the pain, but if the patient does not see a doctor to treat the initial symptoms, the disease progresses. The nature of the pain a person feels in arthrosis hurts. Sometimes they can be felt in the back, elbows, or entire arm (in the first and second degrees, then intensify).
The intensity of the discomfort may be exacerbated by changing weather conditions or constant physical exertion. The initial stage of the disease does not bother the patient when the shoulder is at rest. Later, the number of joint movements that the patient consciously adjusts is limited. At this time, the cartilage in the joints is destroyed, and bone processes (osteophytes) grow, making it very difficult to move. In the last stage of the disease, the patient can raise his arm up to 90 degrees because the cartilage fuses into a bone formation, making it impossible to move the arm.
Degrees of the disease
There are 4 stages of this disease:
- Grade 1 is characterized by minor damage to cartilage tissue. The patient may sometimes feel uncomfortable pain after holding his shoulder in a position for a long time or lifting heavy objects. At this stage, special exercises and diet can be used to treat the developing symptoms and prevent further stages;
- Grade 2 is characterized by the presence of osteophytes as well as narrowing of the joint gap (seen on radiography). The pain in this case is more frequent and acute;
- Grade 3 causes a decrease in the number of hand gestures. The x-ray shows the minimum size of the opening between the shoulder joints. The patient constantly feels sore pains that do not go away at rest;
- Grade 4 occurs if the patient did not consult a specialist in a timely manner. At the same time, the fusion of cartilage and bone processes is observed, making it impossible to move the hand.
Treatment
Depending on the severity of the disease, there are several options for treating shoulder arthrosis:
- prosthesis surgery;
- drug treatment;
- physiotherapy;
- medical and physical culture complex (LFK);
- traditional medicine;
- diet.
The disease can be successfully treated in the early stages of development with steroid and non-steroidal drugs, as well as drugs that relieve vascular and muscle cramps. Medications help the patient relieve pain and repair damaged cartilage tissue.
If the patient sees a doctor in time, he or she may be prescribed a therapeutic gymnastic form. It helps increase the mobility of the joints. In the initial stage, it is sometimes enough to do the exercises prescribed by a specialist, at which point it is no longer necessary to have surgery or to take large amounts of medication.
So-called surgical treatment methods are prescribed by a doctor if conservative methods (gymnastics, medications) did not help. The most famous method of treating deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint is arthroplasty. At the same time, the collapsing joint is replaced by a modern prosthesis that performs all the functions of the shoulder joint. The prostheses are designed for years of work. Surgery is used in the last stages of the disease when there is no point in treating it with other methods.
Treatment of arthrosis of the shoulder joint with folk remedies is not prohibited in principle, but must be approved by a doctor. It must also be compatible with other medicines. But don’t neglect gymnastics and other exercises. Gymnastics can be performed in the remission phase, and exacerbation precludes the possibility of exercises. Wherever the patient finds the exercises, they should show them to their doctor, who will confirm or refuse the exercises and treatment before continuing. Contraindications to the treatment of gymnastics are fever, lung disease, heart disease and other diseases.
Some of the most effective exercises:
- in the initial position, the patient's legs are shoulder-width apart, the left arm rises and bends at the elbow joint so that his fingers touch the left scapula. The elbow of the hand should face upwards. The same procedure is repeated with the right hand. In total, the exercise should be repeated 4 times;
- in the initial position, the patient's legs are shoulder-width apart, arms along the body. First, place your right hand on the opposite shoulder and vice versa. So you embrace yourself. At the same time, the elbows should be kept as high as possible and the person’s fingers should reach to the shoulder blades. This exercise is performed 8 times.
Diet
Treatment for arthrosis of the shoulder joint is quite extensive. This includes diet because being overweight sometimes causes a heavy strain on the joints. According to statistics, diet significantly alleviates the manifestations of arthrosis by helping to reduce the patient’s weight. In addition to overcoming overweight, the diet should also take into account the need to provide the body with the substances needed to restore and maintain cartilage elasticity.
To cure deforming arthrosis of the shoulder joint, experts recommend that you include slow carbohydrates in your diet and replace them with fast ones. This means that products made from flour can be consumed, but products made from white flour (wheat, corn) should be omitted instead of products made from rye, oats or buckwheat flour. During the diet, you need to eat enough cereals (oatmeal, buckwheat, pearl barley) to give you strength and energy and to feed your cartilage and bones with essential trace elements.
As far as the use of meat in the diet is concerned, chicken, rabbit and other low-calorie meats should be present in the diet. At the same time, high-calorie pork and lamb should be omitted. Meat and vegetables should be steamed, cooked or steamed, but not fried. Consideration should also be given to plants belonging to the legume family as a source of plant protein. Another dietary tip would be to use unrefined oil instead of refined oil. Aspiks from meat and fish help restore cartilage and promote their development.